--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Liberals want to burn the flag, but…" description: "\"Liberals want to burn the flag, but progressives just want to microwave it?\" — Stephen Colbert" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff6/stephen-colbert-503_flags_liberals-want-to-burn-the-flag-but-progr_218516.png" --- # Liberals want to burn the flag, but progressives just want… ![“Liberals want to burn the flag, but progressives just want to microwave it?” quote by Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff6/stephen-colbert-503_flags_liberals-want-to-burn-the-flag-but-progr_218516.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff6/stephen-colbert-503_flags_liberals-want-to-burn-the-flag-but-progr_218516.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff6/stephen-colbert-503_flags_liberals-want-to-burn-the-flag-but-progr_218516.png) > “Liberals want to burn the flag, but progressives just want to microwave it?” [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A satirical comment on how some liberals criticize symbols while progressives prefer less confrontational approaches. **In simple terms:** Critique of symbolic protest. Key Takeaway Consider nuanced activism. Themes politics protest symbolism satire Mood witty critical thought‑provoking Type satirical political When to use this quote - campaign strategy - public debates - social media activism Key Concepts media criticism political discourse cultural conflict Questions to Reflect On - When is symbolic protest effective? - How can activism stay impactful without alienation? A Different Perspective May oversimplify complex views. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Flags](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flags/) [Liberals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liberals/) [Progressives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/progressives/) ## Related quotes > [The price of a solar panel keeps plummeting, which is why it is so absurd to watch Donald Trump try to somehow revive the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/the-price-of-a-solar-panel-keeps-plummeting-which-is-why-it-is-so/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [ I think we ought to quit sending \[help\] to countries that burn our flag. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rand-paul/i-think-we-ought-to-quit-sending-help-to-countries-that-burn-our-flag/) [Rand Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rand-paul/) > [Yes, I'm a patriotic person. For these people who disgrace the American way and burn our flag and do all of these things... I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/payne-stewart/yes-i-m-a-patriotic-person-for-these-people-who-disgrace-the-american/) [Payne Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/payne-stewart/) > [She wanted to tell him so mach, on the tarmac, the day he left. The world is run by brutal men and the surest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colum-mccann/she-wanted-to-tell-him-so-mach-on-the-tarmac-the-day-he-left-the/) [Colum McCann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colum-mccann/) > [You the devil in drag. You can burn your cross, Well, I'll burn your flag...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ice-cube/you-the-devil-in-drag-you-can-burn-your-cross-well-i-ll-burn-your-flag/) [Ice Cube](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ice-cube/) > [Is it my business if somebody wants to burn a flag?...No, it's not...That's called logic and it'll help us all evolve...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/is-it-my-business-if-somebody-wants-to-burn-a-flag-no-it-s-not-that-s/) [Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/) > [It's OK to burn a Bible, that's OK. OK to burn a flag, OK, that's all right. But just, you know, for heaven's sake,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louie-gohmert/it-s-ok-to-burn-a-bible-that-s-ok-ok-to-burn-a-flag-ok-that-s-all/) [Louie Gohmert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louie-gohmert/) > [We have a First Amendment right to burn the flag as symbolic speech. The Constitution protects that right. To spend time and effort on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-k-ross/we-have-a-first-amendment-right-to-burn-the-flag-as-symbolic-speech/) [Deborah K. Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-k-ross/) > [“The world is run by brutal men and the surest proof is their armies. If they ask you to stand still, you should dance.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colum-mccann/the-world-is-run-by-brutal-men-and-the-surest-proof-is-their-armies/) [Colum McCann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colum-mccann/) > [A flag is supposed to represent everything that a country does. It doesn't only represent the good things. If you burn the flag, you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/a-flag-is-supposed-to-represent-everything-that-a-country-does-it/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) > [“I thank God for freedoms we’ve got in this country. I cherish them and treasure them—even the right to burn the flag. We also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-befumo/i-thank-god-for-freedoms-we-ve-got-in-this-country-i-cherish-them-and/) [Joseph Befumo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-befumo/) > [If you want a symbolic gesture, don't burn the flag, wash it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-thomas/if-you-want-a-symbolic-gesture-don-t-burn-the-flag-wash-it/) [Norman Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-thomas/) > [Hit mics like Ted Koppel, rifle expert. Let off the Eiffel, burn a flag in the grass it's spiteful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ghostface-killah/hit-mics-like-ted-koppel-rifle-expert-let-off-the-eiffel-burn-a-flag/) [Ghostface Killah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ghostface-killah/) > [“Burn IS Flag Challenge' Sparks Political Inferno”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/burn-is-flag-challenge-sparks-political-inferno/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I prefer a man who will burn the flag and then wrap himself in the constitution to a man who will burn the constitution…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-washington/i-prefer-a-man-who-will-burn-the-flag-and-then-wrap-himself-in-the/) Craig Washington ## More by Stephen Colbert > [Don't be bitter. Everybody suffers. If you can accept your suffering then you will understand other people better. Be grateful for pain. Love life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/don-t-be-bitter-everybody-suffers-if-you-can-accept-your-suffering/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) > [Cynicism masquerades as wisdom, but it is the farthest thing from it. Because cynics don’t learn anything. Because cynicism is a self-imposed blindness, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/cynicism-masquerades-as-wisdom-but-it-is-the-farthest-thing-from-it/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) > [We all deserve credit for this new surveillance state that we live in because we the people voted for the Patriot Act. Democrats and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/we-all-deserve-credit-for-this-new-surveillance-state-that-we-live-in/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) > [I've long been against illegal aliens, partly because they distract us from an even bigger threat: real aliens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/i-ve-long-been-against-illegal-aliens-partly-because-they-distract-us/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) > [Believe in me, cause I don't believe in anything, and I wanna be someone to believe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/believe-in-me-cause-i-don-t-believe-in-anything-and-i-wanna-be/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) > [It's August, which means Congress is on recess and Mitch McConnell has shimmied back into the ocean to seek a mate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/it-s-august-which-means-congress-is-on-recess-and-mitch-mcconnell-has/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) > [Try to love others and serve others and hopefully find those who love and serve you in return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/try-to-love-others-and-serve-others-and-hopefully-find-those-who-love/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) > [Thirty seconds is the exact amount of time Americans can tolerate something they don't understand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/thirty-seconds-is-the-exact-amount-of-time-americans-can-tolerate/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) > [I used to make up stuff in my bio all the time, that I used to be a professional ice-skater and stuff like that.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/i-used-to-make-up-stuff-in-my-bio-all-the-time-that-i-used-to-be-a/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) > [I live by syllogisms: God is love. Love is blind. Stevie Wonder is blind. Therefore, Stevie Wonder is God. I don't know what I'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/i-live-by-syllogisms-god-is-love-love-is-blind-stevie-wonder-is-blind/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) > [“Unlike Paul Newman, who seems to think that salad dressing is the cure-all for America's ills, I'm a man of action.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/unlike-paul-newman-who-seems-to-think-that-salad-dressing-is-the-cure/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) > [Now, for my younger viewers out there, a book is something we used to have before the internet. It’s sort of a blog for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/now-for-my-younger-viewers-out-there-a-book-is-something-we-used-to/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) > [Jesus forgives sinners, not criminals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/jesus-forgives-sinners-not-criminals/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) > [Used books are the sluts of the literary world. Passed around from person to person, spreading their pages for anyone, getting cheaper and cheaper…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/used-books-are-the-sluts-of-the-literary-world-passed-around-from/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) > [“Divorce is a marital welfare. It's just couples asking society to bail them out because they didn't do enough research before they got married.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/divorce-is-a-marital-welfare-it-s-just-couples-asking-society-to-bail/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) [Explore all 514 Stephen Colbert quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) ## More Flags quotes > [For the glory born of Goodness Never dies, And its flag is not half-masted In the skies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bret-harte/for-the-glory-born-of-goodness-never-dies-and-its-flag-is-not-half/) [Bret Harte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bret-harte/) > [Women covering their heads is traditional, but now we're seeing more and more women covering themselves from head to toe. This is said to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayaan-hirsi-ali/women-covering-their-heads-is-traditional-but-now-we-re-seeing-more/) [Ayaan Hirsi Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayaan-hirsi-ali/) > [They're counting on your patriotism to distract you from their plunder. They're counting on you to be standing at attention with your hand over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-moyers/they-re-counting-on-your-patriotism-to-distract-you-from-their/) [Bill Moyers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-moyers/) > [We are determined that before the sun sets on this terrible struggle, Our Flag will be recognized throughout the World as a symbol of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-c-marshall/we-are-determined-that-before-the-sun-sets-on-this-terrible-struggle/) [George C. Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-c-marshall/) > [ It wasn't \[Barack\] Obama per se; it was the feeling on the ground; it was seeing an old black woman in a wheelchair being… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-ayers/it-wasn-t-barack-obama-per-se-it-was-the-feeling-on-the-ground-it-was/) [Bill Ayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-ayers/) > [The kingly office is entitled to no respect. It was originally procured by the highwayman's methods. It remains a perpetuated crime, can never be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/the-kingly-office-is-entitled-to-no-respect-it-was-originally/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [If the Jews had issues with the Polish people then why during the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, did the Jewish underground hang two flags from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrzej-duda/if-the-jews-had-issues-with-the-polish-people-then-why-during-the/) [Andrzej Duda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrzej-duda/) > [He is a great enough magician to tap our most common nightmares, daydreams and twilight fancies, but he never invented them either: he found…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-s-beagle/he-is-a-great-enough-magician-to-tap-our-most-common-nightmares/) [Peter S. Beagle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-s-beagle/) > [I try not to think retrospectively. It's important, as an artist, to look forward, always. I do try to take work that involves some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cillian-murphy/i-try-not-to-think-retrospectively-it-s-important-as-an-artist-to/) [Cillian Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cillian-murphy/) > [Hold the period of youth sacred to education, and the period of maturity, when the physical forces begin to flag, equally sacred to ease…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bellamy/hold-the-period-of-youth-sacred-to-education-and-the-period-of/) [Edward Bellamy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bellamy/) > [The flag represents all the values and the liberties Americans have and enjoy everyday.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-shuster/the-flag-represents-all-the-values-and-the-liberties-americans-have/) [Bill Shuster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-shuster/) > [I remember every player-every single one-who wore the Tennessee orange, a shade that our rivals hate, a bold, aggravating color that you can usually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-summitt/i-remember-every-player-every-single-one-who-wore-the-tennessee/) [Pat Summitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-summitt/) > [What I’m talking about is more than recompense for past injustices—more than a handout, a payoff, hush money, or a reluctant bribe. What I’m…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/what-i-m-talking-about-is-more-than-recompense-for-past-injustices/) [Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/) > [All of us ... should remember that no amount of flag-waving, pledging allegiance, or fervent singing of the national anthem is evidence that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/all-of-us-should-remember-that-no-amount-of-flag-waving-pledging/) [Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/) > [Once a man has tasted freedom he will never be content to be a slave. That is why I believe that this frightfulness we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/once-a-man-has-tasted-freedom-he-will-never-be-content-to-be-a-slave/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 863 Flags quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flags/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Liberals want to burn the flag, but progressives just want to microwave it?", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Stephen Colbert" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/liberals-want-to-burn-the-flag-but-progressives-just-want-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Flags" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/liberals-want-to-burn-the-flag-but-progressives-just-want-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff6/stephen-colbert-503_flags_liberals-want-to-burn-the-flag-but-progr_218516.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff6/stephen-colbert-503_flags_liberals-want-to-burn-the-flag-but-progr_218516.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff6/stephen-colbert-503_flags_liberals-want-to-burn-the-flag-but-progr_218516.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Liberals want to burn the flag, but progressives just want to microwave it?” — Stephen Colbert", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Stephen Colbert", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Liberals want to burn the flag,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/liberals-want-to-burn-the-flag-but-progressives-just-want-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/liberals-want-to-burn-the-flag-but-progressives-just-want-to/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```